Life Skills at a Tribal College: A Culturally Relevant Educational Intervention

American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians (AI/AN/NH) experience the lowest rates of college retention and significant barriers to graduation. In addition, AI/AN/NH individuals face health challenges that include higher rates of obesity, overweight, and type 2 diabetes. We designed a culturally relevant life skills curriculum based on family and consumer science standards to promote educational achievement, self-efficacy, and healthful food choices among tribal college students. The Life Skills at a Tribal College course was delivered by tribal college Extension professionals in a family meal–style environment and involved culturally appropriate, traditional ways of learning to promote positive educational and health outcomes

The Prize Is Healthy Eyes: Using Games to Educate About Diabetic Retinopathy

This article describes a program for prevention of diabetic retinopathy (DR) that was designed for Extension in collaboration with optometrists. The program was created to increase knowledge and awareness about risk factors for DR and included a game and take-home materials. Participants were asked to play a game similar to Wheel of Fortune. A total of 89% of questions were answered correctly. A telephone survey was used to track retention of knowledge and revealed that participants had used increased knowledge to make positive lifestyle changes. Of individuals who participated in the interactive game, measurable improvements in knowledge and awareness occurred

Endothelial, Cardiovascular, and Performance Responses to L-arginine Intake and Resistance Exercise

International Journal of Exercise Science 12(2): 701-713, 2019. The purpose of this study was to examine the acute endothelial, cardiovascular, and performance responses to L-arginine intake by assessing flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and various indicators (e.g., heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure, torque) both before and after resistance exercise. Thirty (15 male, 15 female) physically active participants (mean ± SD: age 20.4 ± 1.8 years, height 176.9 ± 10.2 cm, body mass 76.0 ± 12.2 kg) volunteered for a randomized, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants completed five sets of elbow extension-flexion exercise after consumption of either 3 g L-arginine or 3 g of placebo. There was a significant decline in post-exercise elbow extension (p = 0.014) and flexion peak torque (p \u3c 0.001). FMD response after exercise was ~5.8% less than before resistance exercise (L-arginine and placebo data pooled, p \u3c 0.001). Baseline brachial artery diameter significantly increased post-FMD (p \u3c 0.001), post-resistance exercise (p \u3c 0.001), and post-resistance exercise FMD (p \u3c 0.001). There were significant time effects for HRV when expressed as the square root of the mean of the sum of squares of differences between adjacent RR intervals (RMSSD) or the proportion of differences between adjacent normal (NN) RR intervals that exceed 50 ms (pNN50) (all p-values \u3c 0.05), but there were no treatment or interaction effects (all p-values \u3e 0.05). We conclude the increased vasodilation due to acute resistance exercise was not enhanced by acute supplementation with L-arginine nor was exercise performance augmented. Further, the relative contribution of sympathetic nervous system input increased with resistance exercise but was not influenced by the addition of L-arginine

Measures Derived from Panoramic Ultrasonography and Animal-Based Protein Intake Are Related to Muscular Performance in Middle-Aged Adults

Ultrasonography advantageously measures skeletal muscle size and quality, but some muscles may be too large to capture with standardized brightness mode (B-mode) imaging. Panoramic ultrasonography can capture more complete images and may more accurately measure muscle size. We investigated measurements made using panoramic compared to B-mode ultrasonography images of the rectus femoris with muscular performance. Concurrently, protein intake plays an important role in preventing sarcopenia; therefore, we also sought to investigate the association between animal-based protein intake (ABPI) and muscular performance. Ninety-one middle-aged adults were recruited. Muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness were obtained using B-mode and panoramic ultrasound and analyzed with Image J software. Muscular performance was assessed using isokinetic dynamometry, a 30-s chair test, and handgrip strength. Three-day food diaries estimated dietary intakes. Linear regression models determined relationships between measures from ultrasonography and muscular performance. Mixed linear models were used to evaluate the association between ABPI and muscular performance. Muscle CSA from panoramic ultrasonography and ABPI were positively associated with lower-body strength (β ± S.E.; CSA, 42.622 ± 20.024, p = 0.005; ABPI, 65.874 ± 19.855, p = 0.001), lower-body endurance (β ± S.E.; CSA, 595 ± 200.221, p = 0.001; ABPI, 549.944 ± 232.478, p = 0.020), and handgrip strength (β ± S.E.; CSA, 6.966 ± 3.328, p = 0.004; ABPI, 0.349 ± 0.171, p = 0.045). Panoramic ultrasound shows promise as a method for assessing sarcopenia. ABPI is related to better muscular performance